MovieChat Forums > Mermaid (2000) Discussion > Desi speaking about herself in the third...

Desi speaking about herself in the third person...

posted 17 years ago by SouthernCross88au
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I don't know if anyone else noticed but when Desi is talking to the pilot in the airfield hangar she actually refers to herself in the first person (she says: "Grandma and ME are going to write daddy a letter."), this is in the middle of the movie. Is this a mistake or was it deliberate by the film makers to make people say: "Ah, she said me!" Maybe Jodelle Ferland just made a mistake and they decided to leave it in because the scene was good and the benefits outweighed the importance of keeping it consistent that she talked about herself in the third person. Also, maybe they left it in just for the reason mentioned above.

However, as far as the story goes, this is a major goof, because it shows that Desi's displacement of her own identity is not consistent and therefore it may be even taken as a deliberate way of trying to get attention from her family in an odd way after she lost her father.

Also, one can discuss if a child would react in the way that the movie shows if they lost their father (talking about oneself in the third person).

When love feels like magic you call it destiny.WhenDestiny has a sense of humorYouCallItSERENDIPITY

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] SouthernCross88au 9 years ago

Actually, I have some background in child psychology as well having worked as a pediatric nurse and working as a preschool teacher.

To tell you the truth, the way the mum hid the truth from the girl is enough reason for this to happen and is actually close to child abuse. I know the mum meant well but to desperately hide the reason for Desi´s dad not being with her anymore is definitely not okay. All you need to do is sit the child down with you and the best you can according to your beliefs explain that daddy is dead and will not come back in the physical form as she knows it. I know the mum said that she wants to hurt the child as little as possible but the way she did it, she actually did the opposite. The truth is the only thing that can make a child accept such a loss and the grievance process takes time but is something the child has to go through. What they did in the movie is they prolonged it. Letters to her dad is very nice indeed and it was lucky she got an answer but what if she had not got an answer? To fake an answer from her dad which was what her mum was considering is unforgivable. Think about when she grows older and remembers this as she has figured out the truth for herself. Parents are supposed to teach their children all they know about life, not lie to them.

In excuse for the mother I can say that she was grieving herself which is evident in the movie when she says "I am afraid to raise my daughter without a father, I am afraid of raising her with a new one." etc.

This is also a cultural thing, I know, being from Europe and not from the rural midwestern US.

When love feels like magic you call it destiny.WhenDestiny has a sense of humorYouCallItSERENDIPITY